Disclosure
This guide contains affiliate links (marked ad) and promotes tools we built (marked (ad — own product)). We earn a commission on purchases through affiliate links, at no extra cost to you. AutoKeyWorder is our own product. Freepik, Kie.ai, eRank, Topaz Labs, and Placeit are third-party products we promote as affiliates.
This is Module 7 of the AI Income Blueprint. It lists every tool used across all four income streams with free alternatives.
My Image Generation Tools Stack
These are the image generation tools I use every day. Real costs, real alternatives, no hypotheticals.
| Tool | Monthly Cost | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Freepik AI Generator (ad) | Free tier available | Web-based AI image generator. Best starting point for beginners, no API needed |
| Kie.ai (ad) | ~$40/mo (usage-based) | API-based generation via Seedream, NB Pro, NB2. For high-volume production |
| Recraft V4 via fal.ai | ~$16/mo (usage-based) | Poster graphics ($0.04/img) and Etsy SVG vectors ($0.08/vector) |
| AutoKeyWorder (ad — own product) | See pricing page | Keywords and metadata for every platform |
| NB2 Prompt Generator (ad — own product) | Free | Generates production-ready Nano Banana Pro prompts from simple descriptions |
| Topaz Photo AI (ad) | $12/mo (annual) or one-time purchase | Upscales images to print resolution |
| eRank (ad) | Free tier / $5.99/mo | Etsy keyword research and competition analysis |
| Placeit (ad) | $7.47/mo (annual) | Product mockups for Etsy listings |
| Freepik (ad) | Free to upload | Stock photo selling platform |
My generation volume: roughly 920 images/month across all 4 streams. Stock photos and posters run daily (10 each). Wallpapers run daily (4). Etsy vectors run every 3 days (about 20 per run). Total image generation cost: about $56/month.
What are image generation tools? Image generation tools turn text prompts into finished images. They range from free tiers for beginners to production-grade paid plans for volume creators. The right tool depends on what you’re creating: photorealistic scenes, flat graphic design, or scalable vector graphics each need different models.
Every link on this page is clearly marked. Affiliate links earn me a commission at no extra cost to you. AutoKeyWorder and the NB2 Prompt Generator are my own products.
Tools by Pipeline Step
1. Research
Finding profitable niches before you generate anything.
| Tool | Cost | What It Does | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Trends | Free | Search trend data, rising queries, seasonal patterns | All streams |
| Freepik Contributor Trends | Free (contributor account) | Direct buyer search data from Freepik | Stock photos |
| Adobe Stock Search | Free | Supply analysis, gap identification | Stock photos |
| Unsplash Trends | Free | Editorial demand signals, growth percentages | Stock photos |
| Google News | Free | Breaking topics that need images now | Stock photos |
| Displate Trending | Free | What’s selling on Displate right now | Posters |
| Wallhaven Toplist | Free | Highest-rated wallpapers this week | Wallpapers |
| Zedge Trending | Free | Mass-market wallpaper downloads | Wallpapers |
| Etsy Search Autocomplete | Free | Real buyer search queries | Etsy |
| eRank (ad) | Free tier / $5.99/mo | Etsy keyword search volume, competition scores, trend data | Etsy |
| Logo Moose | Free | Design trends 4-6 weeks before they hit Etsy | Etsy |
| Free | Real community demand signals | All streams |
Free research covers 90% of what you need. eRank’s paid tier adds deeper Etsy competition analysis and keyword tracking, which becomes valuable once you have 10+ Etsy listings.
2. Image Generation
Turning your prompts into images.
| Tool | Cost | What It Does | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freepik AI Generator (ad) | Free tier available | Web-based AI image generator with multiple models. No API, no setup. | Beginners, web UI workflow, quick generation |
| Kie.ai free tier (ad) | Free (limited) | API access to Seedream, NB Pro, NB2, Recraft | Testing API-based workflows |
| Kie.ai paid (ad) | Varies | Higher limits, faster generation, full model access | High-volume production batches |
Start with Freepik’s AI Generator (ad) if you want a web interface. You can generate images directly in your browser without any API setup. Move to Kie.ai when you need higher volume or specific models.
Models available on Kie.ai (API):
| Model | Cost/Image | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Seedream 4.5 | ~$0.032 | Stock photos (no people), wallpapers (atmospheric) |
| Nano Banana Pro | ~$0.09 | Stock photos (with people) |
| NB2 Illustrative | ~$0.06 | Posters (atmospheric, dark, cinematic) |
| Recraft V4 (image) | ~$0.04 | Posters (graphic design), wallpapers (flat styles) |
| Recraft V4 (vector) | ~$0.08 | SVG icons, clipart, badges |
| Ideogram V3 | ~$0.04 | T-shirt designs with text, badges, quote graphics, logos |
Cost to generate 100 images: $3.20 (all Seedream) to $9.00 (all NB Pro). Most batches mix models and land around $4-6 per 100 images.
3. Prompt Writing
Creating the text prompts that drive image quality.
| Tool | Cost | What It Does | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Write your own | Free | Use the formulas from the Prompt Engineering module | All streams (learning the skill) |
| NB2 Prompt Generator (ad — own product) | Free | Generates full structured Nano Banana Pro prompts from a simple description | Stock photos with people |
| Seedream Prompt Generator (ad — own product) | Free | Generates flowing prose Seedream 4.5 prompts with style anchors and named colors | Stock photos, landscapes, food, products |
| Recraft Prompt Generator (ad — own product) | Free | Generates layer-based Recraft V4 prompts for graphic design and posters | Posters, illustrations, typography |
| T-Shirt Design Generator (ad — own product) | Free | Generates Ideogram V3 prompts optimized for text-heavy t-shirt designs | Etsy SVG t-shirt bundles |
The Prompt Engineering module teaches you the formulas for every product type. The prompt generators handle the heavy lifting automatically: NB2 for people shots, Seedream for objects and scenes, Recraft for posters and design, and T-Shirt Design for Etsy SVG bundles (ad — own products).
4. Post-Processing
Preparing images for platform requirements.
| Tool | Cost | What It Does | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topaz Photo AI (ad) | $12/mo (annual) or one-time purchase | AI upscaling to 2K, 4K, or higher. Industry standard for print-quality upscaling. | Posters (required for Displate), wallpapers (premium Etsy packs) |
| VectorMagic (ad) | Free tier / $9.95/mo desktop | PNG-to-SVG conversion with accurate color and path tracing. Best-in-class for text-heavy designs. | Etsy SVG bundles, t-shirt designs, logo vectorization |
| Inkscape | Free, open source | SVG editing: remove backgrounds, clean paths, merge elements. Also has built-in bitmap tracing. | Etsy vectors (SVG cleanup), free vectorization alternative |
Upscaling is not optional for posters. Displate and print platforms reject low-resolution uploads. Raw AI output at 896-1024px is not print-ready. Topaz Photo AI (ad) is the standard tool for this. There is no comparable free alternative for AI image upscaling at print quality.
Vectorization is not optional for Etsy SVG bundles. AI models output raster PNG, not vector SVG. VectorMagic (ad) produces the cleanest traces, especially on text-heavy t-shirt designs where letter edges need to be sharp. See our full t-shirt vectorization walkthrough for the step-by-step. Inkscape’s free “Trace Bitmap” works for simple graphics but struggles with typography.
SVG editing is free. Inkscape handles everything you need for vector cleanup: background removal, path editing, format conversion.
5. Keywords and Metadata
Making your images discoverable on platforms.
| Tool | Cost | What It Does | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual tagging | Free (slow) | Write your own titles, keywords, descriptions | Small batches, learning what keywords matter |
| AutoKeyWorder (ad — own product) | See pricing page | Paste an image, get 25-50 keywords in seconds. Handles titles, descriptions, and platform-specific formats. | All streams, all platforms |
The time math: Manual tagging takes about 3 minutes per image. For a batch of 50, that’s 2.5 hours. AutoKeyWorder (ad — own product) does the same batch in roughly 12 minutes. At scale, this is the biggest time saver in the entire pipeline.
6. Mockups
Showing your products in context to increase conversions.
| Tool | Cost | What It Does | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canva free tier | Free | Basic mockup templates, product images | Getting started, simple mockups |
| Placeit (ad) | $7.47/mo (annual) | 150,000+ professional mockup templates. Upload your design, download a product image. | Etsy listings, professional-quality mockups |
Mockups matter most for Etsy. A listing with product mockups (SVGs shown on t-shirts, mugs, in Cricut Design Space) converts significantly better than flat previews on white backgrounds. Canva’s free tier works for basic mockups. Placeit (ad) is the upgrade when you want variety and professional quality.
7. Selling Platforms
Where your images earn money.
| Platform | Cost to Join | Commission/Revenue | Best For | Affiliate? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Stock | Free | 33% royalty per download | Stock photos (highest revenue per download) | No affiliate program |
| Freepik (ad) | Free | Subscription pool per download | Stock photos (high volume, European market) | Yes |
| Shutterstock | Free | 15-40% (tier-based) | Stock photos (broad catalog, no AI-generated images allowed) | No affiliate link |
| Displate | Free | $4.50-$14.50/sale, up to 41% via Share & Earn | Posters, wall art | Share & Earn |
| Redbubble | Free | ~10% (adjustable markup) | Posters + other products | No affiliate link |
| Society6 | Free | Fixed per product type | Design-focused home decor | No affiliate link |
| Zedge | Free | Ad revenue share | Phone wallpapers (massive organic traffic) | No affiliate link |
| Etsy | $0.20/listing | You set prices, ~13% total fees | SVG bundles, clipart, digital downloads | No affiliate link |
| Gumroad | Free | 10% fee per sale | Wallpaper packs, direct sales | No affiliate link |
| Creative Fabrica | Free | You set prices | Alternative to Etsy for digital products | No affiliate link |
Start with 1-2 platforms per stream. Cross-post the same content to additional platforms as you scale.
Cost Breakdown: Starting from Zero
$0 Budget (Completely Free Start)
| Step | Tool |
|---|---|
| Research | Google Trends + platform trending pages + Reddit |
| Generate | Freepik AI Generator (Aff.) free tier |
| Keyword | Manual tagging |
| Upload | Adobe Stock + Displate + Zedge + Etsy (all free to join) |
What you sacrifice: Generation limits, keywording speed, no upscaling (limits you to stock photos and wallpapers that don’t require print resolution).
~$15-25/month Budget (Recommended Start)
| Step | Tool | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Research | Free sources + eRank (Aff.) free tier | $0 |
| Generate | Freepik AI Generator (Aff.) paid or Kie.ai (Aff.) for API | ~$5-15 |
| Keyword | AutoKeyWorder (ad — own product) | See pricing |
| Upscale | Topaz Photo AI (Aff.) | $12/mo (annual) or one-time purchase |
| Upload | All platforms | Free |
This covers all four streams with enough generation credits for 100-200 images/month and professional-quality metadata.
My Actual Budget (~$56/month Generation + Tools)
This is what I spend running all 4 pipelines daily:
| Category | Tool | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Generation (kie.ai) | Seedream + NB Pro + NB2 | ~$40 |
| Generation (fal.ai) | Recraft V4 posters + Etsy vectors | ~$16 |
| Research | eRank (Aff.) paid | $5.99 |
| Mockups | Placeit (Aff.) annual | $7.47 |
| Upscaling | Topaz Photo AI (Aff.) | $12/mo (annual) or one-time purchase |
| Keywording | AutoKeyWorder (ad — own product) | See pricing |
| Total | ~$70/mo + tools |
That produces roughly 920 images/month. At $1,312 earned in Q1 2026 (about $437/month), the ROI is roughly 6:1 on generation costs alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I start completely free? Yes. Freepik’s AI Generator (ad) has a free tier, manual keywording is free, and all platform accounts are free to join. Paid tools save time and improve quality, but they’re not required for your first uploads.
Which paid tool should I get first? AutoKeyWorder (ad — own product). Keywording is the highest-leverage step. Good keywords on a decent image beat bad keywords on a great image. Automating this step saves more time than any other single tool upgrade.
Do I need Topaz for stock photos? No. Stock photo platforms accept standard AI resolution. Topaz is only necessary for print platforms (Displate, Redbubble) that require high-resolution uploads.
What is the best tool to start generating images? Freepik’s AI Generator (ad) is the easiest starting point. It runs in your browser with no API setup. When you need higher volume or specific models like Seedream or Nano Banana Pro, move to Kie.ai (ad) for API-based generation.
What about Midjourney or DALL-E? Both produce good images. The prompting formulas in this guide are optimized for Seedream, NB Pro, and Recraft, which are more cost-effective for production batches. Midjourney excels at artistic styles but costs more per image at scale. DALL-E is strong for photorealism but less flexible for vectors and poster art.
Where can I learn more about each income stream? Each stream has a dedicated guide: Stock Photography, Posters, Wallpapers, Etsy Digital Products, and the 30-Day Action Plan. The Prompt Engineering Guide covers formulas for every image type.
Part of the AI Income Blueprint series.